I wanted to share with you what a Great Friend of mine-Ashley and I have started doing. I was doing this a while back but really not "committed" so to speak. It was kind of hap-hazard. Then the New Years Resolution hit me square in the face in 2010
*I am responsible for what my family eats.
*I am responsible for my family's health.
*I am responsible for what we waste our money on eating out.
It was time!!!! Sooooooo I was talking at work with Ashley (the above mentioned Great Friend) and she and her husband are doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace. After much discussion across the hall back and forth we came up with a plan. I tried it one week and she was going to give it a shot and see what happened. This is probably nothing new to most of you. You have probably seen it on TV, the Internet and even other blogs. Mass Cooking is what I would call it. Basically all we do is plan the week and do all of the "Main Dishes" on Sunday afternoon and then put them in the fridge and all you have to do is heat and eat all week and prepare some type of quick side. You can even be as simple as apple sauce or even the Steamers that you can get now that are ready in 4-6 minutes.
*Dinner at home.
*Dinner around the table
*Dinner you feel good about serving.
*Dinner YOU prepared and know what is in it.
So, here is the plan for what I did the first week.
Sunday Afternoon cooking plan - Ground Turkey was on sale and therefore, I ran with that.
Huge pot of Ground Turkey Chili in the crock pot.
"Hamburger Helper" Cheeseburger Macaroni (I substitute whole wheat pasta for the pasta in the box)
Turkey Cheeseburgers
Turkey Sloppy Joes
Spaghetti Sauce.
BAM!!!!!!HEAT AND EAT ALL WEEK!!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!
This past week looked like this......
Frozen chicken breast on sale (BOGO Free!!!)
*Baked Spice Chicken for a huge Chicken Salad on Romaine lettuce
*Baked Italian Chicken with pasta and tomato sauce
*Crock pot of Chicken and Rice
*Pulled BBQ Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches (Got a deal at Costco)
BAM!!!!!
Heat and Eat All Week!!!!!!!
This is sooooo VERY easy and VERY COOL!!!!! Not sure what is on the list for next week.
How about you?
Do you ever cook like this?
Have you ever thought about it?
I have flipped over it!!!!!!! I am so totally hooked!!!!!!!
PLEASE share your ideas with Ashley and I. We would love to see what you have been cooking lately!!!!!!
Part 2-Let me just tell you, it has changed my home and changed our evenings and our weekends and our BUDGET!!!!! Ashley and I were discussing how much things have changed and how nice it is to have dinner ready to go.
Literally Heat and Eat!!!!!
To Answer a Few Questions....(these are the one's that we hear the most)
1- How do you know what to prepare? You can do this one of two ways. First, look at what you already have on hand. What is in the pantry and the freezer? What are you hungry for? What is the weather? If is is snowing, cold and rainy, you may want a nice warm bowl of soup or stew. If it's hot and humid you may way a grilled chicken salad with fruit. You get the idea.
2-How do you go shopping? I ALWAYS make sure that I have the STAPLES in my pantry. Flour, sugar, favorite seasonings, cream of _____soup, rice, pasta, and cheese. Those types of things I always get, especially if they are on sale. I have a grocery store that will every once in a while put things on "Buy 2 get 3 FREE" That is just a No-Brainer for me. I will get all 5. See what is on sale at your local store and always check out the Costco or Sam's if you are a member. For Example- We eat a lot of Ground Turkey. At the grocery store, the turkey that is 93/7 is about $6 per pack. I can get 4 packs of 93/7 at Costco for about $12. Same with the turkey burgers that my husband adores!!!!! 10 frozen burgers of $9.99. They are either 1/4 or 1/3 pound burger at $1 a piece. Here again,,,,,,No-Brainer!!!!! Just look for what your family likes or the one thing you want to try out.
3-How long does it take to do this? Both Ashley and I do ours on Sunday afternoon. I have a 4 year old and typically try to do it while he is down for nap. She has 2 and one takes a nap and Steve takes care of the older and she can get in the kitchen and get it done. It typically takes NO LONGER THAN 2 hours. We use the crock pot at least once a week most weeks. A soup, a stew, a roast, or pulled BBQ pork. If you cook it on Sunday night, then place it in the frig. and all you have to do is heat and eat.
Our goal is to post what we prepare during the week and PLEASE join in and send your ideas and your recipes. The more, the better!!!!! More ideas, the more choices that we have!!!!! It really it a lot easier on you, your family and your budget.
Even this past week I was tired and worn down and just out of old habit asked my husband "What do you want for dinner?" His response...."We have all of that food at the house, let's just do something there" Yes, he was right and it would only take 10 minutes to heat and we saved $25 from going out to dinner.
